Chapter 39

After hearing Minato's words, Xing Liu simply shrugged her shoulders casually, then resignedly said, "Alright, alright... Is it just that you don't want me to slack off? Fine, I'll get to work~"

It wasn't clear whether it was Xing Liu's demeanor that was so funny, but as soon as her resigned expression hit her, Xiaojang, who was standing behind her, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Pfft... Hahaha! Big brother, do you know how hilarious you look right now?" Xiaojang laughed, clutching her stomach from the sheer pain of laughing so hard.

"Your face right now shows both your reluctance to work and the helplessness of having to do it anyway..."

"Who can pull two completely opposite expressions at the same time on their face like that?"

Hilarious?

Xing Liu looked at Xiaojang, who had already crouched down on the ground laughing.

Is she talking about me?

But what Xing Liu didn't know was that her puzzled expression struck Xiaojang's funny bone once again. The laughter that had just started to subside came roaring back.

"Hahaha... I can't take it anymore... Big brother, I'm going back to my room. If I keep looking at your funny face, I'll laugh until I can't stand up anymore…"

With that, Xiaojang slowly leaned against the wall and made her way back to the room she shared with Xing Liu, though her melodic laughter could still be heard faintly in the distance.

Xing Liu wasn't sure if she was a bit curious about her own expression. Without hesitation, she pulled out a mirror from her pocket and started pulling faces at her reflection.

"Pfft…"

Minato had thought that after spending so many years with Xing Liu, he had become immune to her sudden antics. But seeing her now pulling ridiculous faces at herself in the mirror, he realized that his patience still had a long way to go…

"Eh? Did I just hear you laugh, big brother?"

"Is my expression really that funny?" With that, Xing Liu pulled her face long and, in the process, made a silly face at Minato.

"Pfft… I can't do it! If you keep this up, I'll truly break character!"

Minato, who had been the Hokage for many years, always maintained a stoic face in public. But in front of Xing Liu, he could never keep that cold, emotionless expression.

"Eh? I just saw you running around busy, so I thought I'd make you relax with a little fun, you know?"

As he spoke, Xing Liu pulled another silly face at Minato, finally succeeding in breaking Minato's carefully maintained poker face.

"Pfft… Hahaha… I can't keep up with this! If this keeps going, I won't be able to keep a straight face all day."

Seeing Xing Liu's rotating array of expressions, Minato turned away, not wanting to look at her anymore.

However, his mind kept replaying the silly faces Xing Liu had made.

"By the way, remember to check if the Akatsuki members have arrived at the Sand Village."

"If they've really shown up, the best case would be to repel them, but that's only if you can return to me safely…"

"So, even if you can't defeat them, it's fine... They're not from our village, so why risk your life for them, right?" Minato smiled as he patted Xing Liu on the shoulder.

"Well, looks like you've already learned most of my skills, huh?" If the Minato from before was here, he never would have prioritized his own life like this.

"Everything for the village's benefit!" This had been Minato's motto in the past.

After all, he had been the fool who, instead of abandoning Konoha, sealed the Nine-Tails into his and Naruto's bodies…

"Cut it out! That's enough talking for now. Go have a proper conversation with Xiaojang. As an older brother, the only compensation I can give is to apologize properly after this mission."

Honestly, if things hadn't been so urgent, he wouldn't have bothered the newlywed couple. But now, all the elite fighters of the village were out on missions, leaving only the lower-ranked ninjas, who were practically just cannon fodder.

So after thinking it over, Minato had decided to ask Xing Liu to go to the Sand Village.

"Alright, alright, if we keep talking, it'll be dark soon, and then what's the point of going out?" Xing Liu gave her signature lazy smile.

"I won't send you off, just close the door before you leave."

"I'm going back to comfort Xiaojang, who just married me and now has to spend some time alone," Xing Liu said as she turned without a second glance and headed toward the room she shared with Xiaojang, leaving Minato to finish his tea and leave the hall alone.

---

"No matter how many times I come here, I can't get used to this cursed weather…" Xing Liu, who had just shared a brief, intimate moment with Xiaojang, suddenly voiced her complaints about the weather.

It had only taken her a few minutes to travel from Konoha to the Sand Village, so no one here knew she had arrived.

"You... aren't you Xing Liu-sama?" A girl with two buns in her hair, holding a large fan, suddenly appeared from a nearby building.

She stared at Xing Liu in disbelief, her eyes wide as she repeatedly confirmed that the man in front of her was indeed the famous Xing Liu from Konoha.

"Well, well! Temari, I didn't expect you to get even more beautiful in just a few months~" Xing Liu, who always teased young, pretty girls, couldn't resist.

"Ha ha, it's been months since I've seen you, Xing Liu-sama, and you're still as amusing as ever…" Temari said with a playful smile, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she looked at him. "I remember Xing Liu-sama got married just yesterday. What brings you to our village the very next day?"

"Are you still thinking about Temari's figure, my lord?"

"Hmm… What would you do if I said yes?" Xing Liu's lips curled into a smirk. When it came to casual banter, he was never one to shy away.

After all, it didn't cost anything to joke around, so he might as well enjoy himself.

"If you really can't forget Temari, I would, of course, be happy to…"

"Alright, Temari, that's enough teasing for now…"

---

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